Chapter Text
Long ago, in a seldom-lived kingdom nestled in the lush greenery of the countryside, a King and Queen lived in relative harmony. They longed for a child to call their own, an heir to the throne, so that the kingdom would live on. The kingdom, though small, was prosperous, and its people were content.
One day, it happened. The kingdom was blessed with a baby boy named Amore, and the kingdom rejoiced as a new heir was born. However, the king died soon after, leaving the Queen in a world of loneliness, heartbroken, and the only person to take care of her son. Her heart ached with the loss of her beloved husband, and yet, it swelled with love for her newborn son.
In fear of the evil that is the outside world, The Queen keeps Amore inside, never leaving the castle, regardless of the situation, and never leaving unless he wants to get hurt. Isolated and alone, Amore chooses to study, and he does as he learns more about science and spends his time doing experiments. Though he would want to go outside, he already knows how to have fun inside.
💙
In the bustling village below, a retired knight named Lilia, with his weathered face and kind eyes, adopted a young boy he dubbed Silver, seemingly born on the same day as the prince. He was Lilia's joy, and he adores his son with all his being, even though he now lives under the cruelty of Lady Eliza, a seamstress he worked under.
Lilia taught Silver to be brave and loving to the less fortunate and always chose Silver over everything, despite his now poor lifestyle. Silver was always kind, though soft-spoken, and always chose to help, not harm.
As he grew, he started working as a seamster for Lady Eliza. Despite her harsh words and treatment, he never let her words damage his spirit or slow him down. He always did what she asked, never complaining—at least not to her face. But he always wanted a better life for himself and his Father and planned that one day they would leave the place and live a more peaceful life. His determination was unwavering, his spirit unbroken.
💗💙
Both of these men, with the aspirations of freedom, have never met. Little did they know, their paths were destined to cross, their fates intertwined in ways they could never have imagined.
Until...
🩷
The Queen, Serena, was told some terrible news. The royal mines seemed to be dry of jewels to make royal coins, and without that, the kingdom had no more money to support the village and its people. If the public found out, it may cause an uproar.
She had to speak with her royal advisor, Duke Divus Crewel, about the solutions. He kindly suggested combining the matrimony of another kingdom, which could help their kingdom flourish brightly.
But to do that was for his son, Amore, to wed the prince of the kingdom of the kingdom of his choice.
After a long week of discussion, Serena took a moment before she broke the news to her son.
"Amore," called Queen Serena, walking into the throne room, "Amore? Are you here? I have an important announcement to make."
Amore looks up from his book and looks at his mother in confusion. "Yes, Mother?"
"I have a special announcement to make." Amore nods, letting her continue. "As you know, our kingdom is going through a horrible money drought, and I have asked the next kingdom to order any help they can offer, and they have a solution for us."
"What is it, Mother?"
"Marriage."
Amore paused for a moment. "Pardon."
Queen Serena took a soft breath. "Yes, the Queen has asked us if you could marry her grandson, Prince Ruggie, and we could share our finances. Amore, think of this as a way to help our people, to help those who can't help themselves!" Amore silently put his book down and looked at her with disappointment.
"So, you're saying that you basically offered me up for marriage, without my permission and I'm basically in an arranged marriage because of our kingdom's lack of wealth?"
"Don't be like that." Queen Serena sighed.
"Mother, I am not ready for marriage and even if I was, I don't think it's a solution for a wealth issue."
"Then I suppose you don't want to help your people then?"
"Mother, don't be like that, "Amore sighs, "Of course I do, and I...I will marry Prince Ruggie for the kingdom."
Queen Serena smiles happily and hugs Amore, "Thank you, my darling. You'll be helping everyone so much with this."
Amore sighed and hugged his mother back, trying to fight any negative emotions he had within. But she was right; he had to do it for the kingdom, as it was his duty as the prince.
"Splendid," Serena grinned. "Crewel is on the way to get a wedding suit just for you. And he's going to your favorite seamstress, Ms. Eliza."
Even that news didn't make him feel better.
But he faked a smile and walked away, his book in his hands.
💙
"Excuse me," Silver squeaked as he carefully walked around town, carrying stacks of silks and fabrics that Eliza had demanded him to get. But it was one of those days when everyone was in the village, and no one cared to notice him. Luckily for Silver, he walked inside the dress shop without scratching the fabrics or himself. He let out a sigh of relief as he entered.
"Ah, Silver," Lilia greeted. Have you got everything?"
Silver nodded and carefully put the items away. "Yes, Father," he looked down. "Rush hour on the village today."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Lilia sighed, "I would've gone if it wasn't for my horrible back. Thank you for helping your old man out."
"You're welcome, Father," Silver nodded and continued stacking.
"You two, come here immediately," demanded Eliza, "We have a guest! An incredibly special one!"
"Who?" Lilia asked as he went up the stairs, followed by Silver.
There was a man, one Silver didn't recognize, but with his attire, he knew he was one of the few rich people living in the village. Behind him were two Dalmatians glaring and growling at Lilia.
"Ah, Advisor Crewel," Lilia smirked, "how many years has it been since we've seen each other?"
"Many," said Crewel, "still look as young as ever I see. What sort of witchcraft you worked on this time?"
"Oh, this is my natural beauty, unlike yourself, as the last time I saw you, you had a few wrinkles. So, I may ask what kind of spells you've used on yourself?"
"Lilia, enough," lectured Eliza. He's a guest from the royal palace."
"Yes," Crewel clears his throat. I would like you to create a wedding suit for the prince."
"For the prince?" Silver wonders.
"Yes, the wedding's in two weeks and we need everything to be in order before the big day."
"Ah, of course, with all the news of bankruptcy, of course, I understand where this is coming from, so let's see what we can do," Silver nods along with Father's prideful words and sighs. "Another piece of work."
"And I expect it to be done by tomorrow, at the very best," Crewel demanded. "Please do not be tardy with this. The Queen can be rather impatient as you know Lilia."
"Oh, do I," Lilia muttered to himself.
"And pardon me for being intrusive," Crewel chuckled. "But I did not know that you had a son. And what is your name, my dear?"
"Silver, sir," Silver nodded toward the man.
"And polite, unlike your father," Crewel laughed, examining Silver. "And such beautiful eyes. I must know, what color are they?"
"Uh, aurora-colored," Silver answered politely.
"Thank you," Crewel smiled. "Oh, I must be going, the queen hates it when I am gone for too long."
With that, Crewel departed, leaving Silver confused and uncomfortable.
Silver looked at Lilia and said, "Our work is never finished, hmm?"
Lilia laughs and leads Silver downstairs, "Oh, don't I know it."
🩷
A day has passed since his officially arranged marriage to Prince Ruggie, and this was the only thing he could do: Hide.
Amore hid as he heard the footsteps of the royal scheduler, listing so many of his duties for the day and how bad they were. He didn't need this, as a wedding was already a stress on his shoulders.
"Oh, we're late, late, late, "Cried the royal scheduler, "We have twenty, maximum twenty-two minutes for your royal fitting. And then it's move, move, move to your speech at the Historical Society. After that, we have to rush, and I mean rush, to the Horticultural Society Tea. And then there's your math lessons, your geography lessons, your science lessons..."
Amore was careful as he passed him. He sighed in relief as he walked down the hallway.
💗
All my life, I've always wanted
To have one day just for me
Nothing to do, and for once, nowhere I need to be
💗
Amore looks around before entering one of the hallways, watching how they were decorated and polished for the wedding. He sneaks by to watch the clouds swoop, looking down at the gardens in dismay.
💗
With no lessons, lords, or lunches
Or to-do list in the way
No one to say when to eat or, read or leave or stay
That would be the day
💙
Meanwhile, Silver sets up the mannequin with many fabrics for his wedding suit in the village. He starts to daydream as he cleans up the mess, humming and singing.
💙
All my life, I've always wanted
To have one day for myself
Not waking up with a pile of work on every shelf
💙
Silver walks by the window let a bird land on his finger and enjoys how the bird begins to sing along, as birds do.
💙
With no hems in need of pressing
And no sleeves in disarray
No wedding gown with a thousand stitches to crochet
And no debt to pay
💙
Footsteps alerted Silver out of his daydream, and he immediately started to work, trying to act less suspicious when she came around.
"What do you think I'm running here? A cabaret?" Eliza scowled.
"I would've said a debtor's prison." Lilia chuckles towards Silver, "How much do I owe you again?"
"Father," Silver hushed.
"Keep laughing, you'll be working for me for another thirty-seven years," Eliza sneered towards Lilia, " since you think this is funny to you."
"But he's already paid off more than half!" Silver protested.
"But there's an interest, isn't there? Your FatherFather should have thought of that before he borrowed so much," Eliza scoffed, walking back up the stairs.
"He did it to feed me!" Silver argued.
"His mistake." And the door slammed hard.
💙
What would it be like to be
What would it be like to be free (Free)
Free to try crazy things
Free from endless IOUs
Free to fly
Free to sing
💗
Amore gazed at a romance book and sighed, thinking of meeting someone, not just by marriage but by meeting up and getting to know them more realistically, as he dreamed about it.
💗
And marry whom I choose
💗
Queen Serena walks over and pats his shoulder, alerting him to a hug, "I'm so sorry, my darling. But as you know, you must marry Prince Ruggie. It is the only way to take care of our people.
"I know," Amore sighed. It's my duty." The maid walked in and handed Amore a gift, carefully wrapped in stings and ribbons.
"Oh! And look!" Queen Serena cheered, "Another engagement gift!"
Amore sighed and faked a smile as he walked away. Looking at his unopened gift, he almost ripped out the strings.
💗
You would think that I'm so lucky
That I have so many things
I'm realizing that every present comes with strings
💙
Silver hums as he dances with a long fabric, followed by many birds as he gets more for the wedding suits. Lilia couldn't help but smile at the sight as he sewed the cuffs of the wedding suit.
💙
Though I know I have so little
My determination's strong
People will gather around the world to hear my song
Can I come along?
💙💗
Amore finally found his way to his room, looking around for anyone not to disturb him as he rushed to his balcony and sighed in the afterglow of the fresh air. The only way he could be alone was to get rid of all the stress he had because of the wedding.
Silver opens the small window, helps the birds out, and watches as they fly into the air, going to whatever they want, and no one can ever stop them. Silver knew someday he could be free as the birds that fly high in the sky and go somewhere else, away from this forced work.
💗💙
Now I fear I'll never be
Soon I will forever be
Free
I close my eyes and feel myself fly
A thousand miles away
I could take flight, but would it be right?
My conscience tells me "Stay"
💙💗
Amore watched and looked down at the village below them and knew that he couldn't be so selfish and that the town should matter to him. He wanted to save his people from a future of debt forever, and he could not forgive himself if he could not.
Silver watches his Father struggle, only for a short while. He knows that Lilia can handle himself, but he hates that he has to watch his Father struggle, not only physically, but with the debt that he had caused by him. Silver never tells Lilia, but he feels guilt for being the reason Lilia is in debt and does odd ways to make money for them.
💗💙
I'll remain forever royal
I'll repay my Father's debt
Duty means doing the
Things your heart may well regret
💙
Amore found a pink rose resembling admiration, happiness, and love. It's a sign that things will get better, even during the most challenging times, and that he may find real love and happiness if he continues to hope and believe. He smiled before putting the rose in his hair and looked at the sunsets.
Silver found a blue rose resembling aspiration and admiration. He knew that he could keep going and that helping his father and his Father was his goal. Even when he was abused and belittled, he never backed down or gave up, like his Father before him and what Silver inspired him to be now.
🩷
But I'll never stop believing
She can never stop my schemes
There's more to living than
Gloves and gowns and threads and seams
In my dreams
I'll be free
💙💗
💜
The night shined brightly as Amore looked out his window, watching the stars shine brightly above him. He watched the knights travel around the castle, guarding. But he wasn't happy.
"Why?" He pondered, "I don't know why life has to be surrounded by sadness and loss...after this, what should I expect from life afterward? Being a wife in a loveless marriage? I don't want that, and I don't want to be stuck here. Maybe, I could have one day of freedom, even if I have to wait, just one day is what I want."
Amore's eyes noticed Crewel walking out, his Dalmatians following him out, and walking out the balcony, watching him leave. "That's... odd," Amore muttered. "Why would Crewel go to the forest? At this late at night, too."
Amore sighed, closed the door, and walked inside. "I can ask him in the morning," he yawned and lay on his bed, his eyes slowly closing.
💟
Two men were inside the royal mines, codenamed Dee and Dum, as they were associated with bad business, i.e., finding and stealing gems so the kingdom could stay bankrupt, until...
"Dum?"
"Yeah, Dee."
Dee grabbed a rock from one of the carts and held it out to Dum, "What is this?"
"Oh," Dum chuckled, "I put that there."
"You idiot! We are supposed to find gems, not stupid boulders!" Dee hissed and threw the boulder away, "Do you even remember the boss's plan."
"Yes?" A tremble was heard, like a rock slide, alerting both men.
Thinking that someone had found their location, they rushed inside a cart.
A light went closer and closer until Crewel entered his head, grinning wickedly. "Hello."
He whispered. "Ah, boss," Dee gasped, "We thought you were someone else."
"Who did you think I was? The Queen?" Crewel sighed.
"Of course not." Dum laughed, "We knew it was you."
Crewel's face palmed, and they looked over at the duo.
"What did you find?"
Dee smiles and hands Crewel a golden nugget, which is big enough for Crewel as he snatches it. "This is perfect! This will be enough to save this kingdom and make me richer than the Queen herself!"
💟
I've been bowing, I've been scraping
I've been lying like a rug
And for ten long years,
I've had to pay my dues
But today, I am escaping
For the last, gold has been dug
It was waiting there, so how could I refuse?
💟
Crewel imagined himself delivering the gold, getting praise from everyone around him, especially the Queen and Amore, and becoming the king in progress.
💟
I'm returning home a hero
Who's discovered mighty wealth
And what better husband could a prince to choose?
I'm the suitor who will suit him
Bring the kingdom back to health
And I'll wear the crown, for how could I refuse?
Raise every glass and rouse every cheer
Praise that the reign of Crewel is here
Master in charge of all that I see
All hail me
And by marrying the prince
I get all that I desire, Like a moat, an ermine coat, and palace views
Even though he treats me coldly
It's a sign of inner fire
For inside, he's thinking, "How can I refuse?"
💟
"Does he know about the.." Dum mumbled to Dee.
"What are you two muttering about over there?" Crewel demanded.
"Well, the engagement," Dee answered, "Remember? The prince is destined to marry Prince Ruggie? In two weeks?"
"Hm, oh...that was happening," Crewel snarled.
"Yeah, I mean, the queen is a queen, she had a crown, a specter, and has a big fancy chair, and-"
💟
Silencio! No! I won't let go!
This peasant son won't turn and run because some reckless royal chose another beau!
Ah!
💟
He smirked and clutched the gold as a plan soon entered his hand.
💟
It's a temporary setback
It's a momentary lapse
But conveniently, my ego doesn't bruise
And the moment that I get back, I will show them who's the boss
You can bet your bullion there'll be no "I do's"
💟
"What's the plan, boss?" Dum asked, tilting his head.
"Oh, let me explain." Crewel laughed.
💟
Yes, suppose the boy goes missing
So the prince says "Au revoir"
Then I find him, bring him back, and make the news
Then the Queen will be so grateful
That she'll pledge the heir to Moi
And I'll humbly tell her
"How can I refuse?"
When our ceremony's over, I'll arise and take the throne
And that nitwit Amore can kiss my shoes
For the kingdom and the castle Will be mine and mine alone
If the crown should fit, then how can I refuse?
💟
"So you two, kidnap the prince by the end of this week, hide him in that desolate cabin in the woods, and keep him there until the prince leaves and the wedding's off," Crewel ordered.
"Of course, boss!" Dum proclaimed happily.
"Happily!" Dee added.
"Then I'll be king, and no one can stop me!" Divus cackled.
💟
So get ready with the roses (So get ready with the roses) And stand by with the champagne (And stand by with the champagne)
When you've got a brilliant plan, you never lose (When you've got a brilliant plan, you never lose)
Yes, before this chapter closes ( Yes before this chapter closes)
I'll be big as Charlemagne (He'll be big as Charlemagne)
It's a thankless job, but how can I refuse? (It's a thankless job, but how can he refuse?)
How can I refuse? (How can he refuse?)
💟
Crewel laughs echoed within the caves, causing bats to fly out into the dim night above.